Longtime legendary New Orleans swim coach Dick Bower, a former Tulane head swim coach, died on Sunday after complications from a recent stroke. Bower, 83, coached the Green Wave in the 1970s, leaving the university in 1979 to set up a local club program, the New Orleans Bolts. The Bolts won 38 Louisiana state swimming championships.

Bower, who died in Houston, spent most of his career lecturing, coaching, and performing swim clinics all over the country. He also coached St. Martin's High School and De La Salle's programs at one time.

Dick Bower and his wife Barbara. Texasblogspot.com

Bower has won a National High School Coach of the Year honor and multiple Coach of the Year awards in Louisiana.

He coached New Orleans Olympian Ashley Tappin when she swam for St. Martin's, though Tappin was primarily coached by Alan Smith. He also coached local swim greats Andre Duplessis and Steve Lundquist, who set the world record in the 100-meter backstroke.

Fritscher swam for and later coached with Bower. Fritscher said Bower developed a revolutionary training system called cruise intervals to address all kinds of ability levels on a given swim team. Bower organized swimmers into lanes based on their quickness -- how fast they could maintain certain intervals. That way, each group of swimmers had a practice that challenged them at an appropriate level.

"It made your swim practices more efficient," Fritscher said.

Slidell-based Hurricane Swim Club coach Chris Prator said he first became familiar with Bower from a swim clinic. Prator grew up in Mississippi and Bower was already a big name in coaching, taking his inspiration from legendary Indiana University coach Doc Councilman.

"He was so passionate about swimming," Prator said. "I never talked to him about anything but swimming. He would always have something to say about swimming or some story to tell about it."

Prator came to New Orleans and coached a team at the Metairie YMCA and his team and Bower's briefly joined.

"He was an icon when I was growing up ... and he kind of took me in when I was at my first swimming convention," Prator said.

Both Prator and Fritscher noted his old-school approach to coaching and discipline. He mandated that his swimmers compete in the state meets, did not sport facial hair, and followed his rules, giving full effort.

"He was sort of at a crossroads in coaching where society was kind of changing," Fritscher said. "He was a tough, hard-nosed guy who if he had to give you a whack on your butt with a kickboard, he was going to do it to set you straight."

Fritscher said that approach worked well with him -- and helped shape him and countless others into first-class swimmers as well as high-character individuals. "He is a tremendous coach and guided thousands and thousands of swimmers into becoming good people," Fritscher said.

His reputation across the country was top-notch as well. "You can go on any deck and all the great coaches would know him by name and ask him questions," Fritscher said. "He was always there to help. He sort of molded me to be a coach."

Bower and his wife, Barbara, relocated to The Woodlands in Houston after Hurricane Katrina damaged much of the city. The couple moved to the area to be closer to their daughter.

In addition to founding the local club, coaching at Tulane and in various other capacities in his career, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Collegiate, Scholastic and United States Swimming at the 2009 NISCA Awards Banquet.